Environmental Groups Urge Microsoft to Skip Gas in Favor of Solar & Wind to Power Data Center – CleanTechnica

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A coalition of environmental and health groups has called on Microsoft to rely on clean energy generation instead of a proposed expansion of methane-fueled power for its planned Racine County data center — projected to become Wisconsin Electric’s “largest electric load.”

In an open letter to Microsoft, the groups charge that the plan underway by We Energies to build new methane gas power plants  “will push our state’s climate goals out of reach, locking us into 30 more years of fossil fuels at a time when we all know we must rapidly transition to clean energy.”

We Energies defended its plan Thursday, calling the gas plants an essential transition step as the company expands its clean energy portfolio.

Microsoft’s decision to build an artificial intelligence data center in Mount Pleasant has been highlighted as a Wisconsin economic development success story, but alongside that has come a growing awareness about the heavy demand that data centers and AI make for electric power.

In testimony to the state Public Service Commission supporting a proposed rate increase to pay for the cost of expanded methane power generation, a Microsoft consultant said the data center is expected “to become the largest electric load” served by Wisconsin Electric, the Milwaukee Business Journal reported. Wisconsin Electric is a subsidiary of We Energies.

The letter distributed Thursday by Clean Wisconsin and signed by a dozen organizations declares that if carried out, the utility’s plan will increase air pollution from nitrogen oxide, particulate matter, lead, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and greenhouse gasses that contribute to climate change.

“It’s time for Wisconsin to leave these dangerous ways to produce energy behind, not double-down on dirty fuels in the name of new technology,” the letter states.

Instead of backing the methane power build-out, the letter urges Microsoft to embrace expanding solar and wind power in Wisconsin to meet the increased demand.

“Microsoft’s recently-announced plan to help fund a currently unspecified 250-megawatt solar project in Wisconsin is a good start, but this represents just a fraction of the data center’s energy needs,” the letter states. “There must be more.”

The letter cites Microsoft’s public claims of commitment to addressing climate change.

“This data center project represents a critical opportunity to help drive change in Wisconsin and put us on a path to clean wind and solar,” the letter states. “Microsoft knows what we all know, that the window to make meaningful progress in the fight against climate change is closing, and the decisions we make right now matter.”

In a statement Thursday responding to the letter, We Energies spokesman Brendan Conway said the new proposed natural gas generation plants were necessary to ensure reliable service as the company continues its move toward cleaner power sources.

“Now more than ever, it is critical for us to have quick-start gas plants available and running in our state for those times when intermittent renewable generation cannot meet customers’ energy needs,” Conway said. He called the gas plants “the cheapest, most reliable and lowest carbon approach to support our customers when solar and wind are not able to provide enough power.”

The proposed plants comply with EPA emission standards, Conway said. He added that We Energies continues to expand its clean energy production, spending more than $7 billion on solar, wind and battery storage capacity by 2028. The utility calculates that with those investments it will be producing four times its current output of non-carbon energy within five years.

By Erik Gunn. Courtesy of Wisconsin Examiner.

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